AI Education Podcast

Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming are experienced education renegades who have worked in many various educational institutions and educational companies across the world. They talk about Artificial Intelligence in Education - what it is, how it works, and the different ways it is being used. It's not too serious, or too technical, and is intended to be a good conversation. Please note the views on the podcast are our own or those of our guests, and not of our respective employers (unless we say otherwise at the time!)

Does AI make you dumb? 06/26/2025

We finally meet Megan and James 06/20/2025

Gen Z's AI Reality 06/13/2025

Students as AI Innovators, with Brett Moller 06/05/2025

Agents, Optimism & Essays: The Real AI Student Life 05/29/2025

Students First: How AI Is Changing Study Habits 05/22/2025

Tutor, Teacher, Cheater: What Students Really Think About AI 05/15/2025

From Hollywood to Healthcare: AI That Cares 05/08/2025

Uber Prompts and AI Myths 05/01/2025

Designing the Future: Learning Designers Meet AI 04/10/2025

From BYO AI to the Turing Test: What Just Happened in Education? 04/03/2025

How two people built an AI tool for 15,000 students 03/27/2025

News & Research: The Global Shift from Policy to Practice 03/20/2025

News & Research: The Global Shift from Policy to Practice News Stories Covered in the Episode AI Typing Like a Human? – Graham Clay’s LinkedIn post on ChatGPT Operator mimicking human keystrokes The Vatican on AI Ethics – “Antiqua et Nova” report on AI, human intelligence, and ethics in education Australian Government’s AI Study – Treasury report on Microsoft 365 Copilot, estimating it pays for itself if it saves 13 minutes per week California State University & AI – Providing 500,000 stuents access to ChatGPT Edu Estonia’s AI Strategy – National AI policy giving all students access to AI tutors Australia’s New National AI Centre Director – ex-podcast co-host appointed to lead the centre. For those keeping count, that's the second of the podcast hosts that's now at NAIC, with current hosts Dan & Ray still waiting for the call 😂 Manus AI Release – A new AI system focused on reasoning and conversation Research Papers Discussed "From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time" – World Bank blog on AI tutoring in Nigeria, claiming two years of learning gains in six weeks. We discussed Ethan Mollick's focusing on the multiple controlled experiments showing that students can be helped or harmed based on how they use AI “AI Meets the Classroom: When Does ChatGPT Harm Learning?” – Study on ChatGPT’s impact on learning; found that using AI without explanations led to weaker long-term retention. “Generative AI Can Help Learning” – AI tutors improve test results but can hinder deeper learning if students rely too much on direct answers “Effective and Scalable Math Support: Experimental Evidence on the Impact of an AI- Math Tutor in Ghana” – AI tutor via WhatsApp in Ghana increased learning by the equivalent of one extra school year at $5 per student “Generative AI in higher education: A global perspective of institutional adoption policies and guidelines” – Study on university AI policies worldwide; most encourage AI use but lack clarity on inclusivity and transparency /episode/index/show/aiineducationpodcast/id/35772530

78,000 Students, One Bold AI Ambition- Leigh Williams 03/13/2025

Education in an AI age - Graham Brown-Martin 03/07/2025

From Butterflies to Bias: Dr. Nici Sweaney on Building Responsible AI in Schools 02/27/2025

From Butterflies to Bias: Dr. Nici Sweaney on Building Responsible AI in Schools In this episode Dan and Ray sit down with Dr. Nici (Nikki) Sweaney—founder of “AI Her Way,” gender equality advocate, and globally recognized AI consultant. After a fascinating career journey from butterfly ecology to statistics to AI, Nici now helps schools and organizations create ethical, responsible, and effective AI strategies. She shares her insights on responsible AI adoption, gender equity, bias, and how schools can proactively plan for an AI-driven future. Follow Nici on LinkedIn: Make an Inquiry about PD for your school: Book Nici as a speaker Nici's will be speaking at lots of events in March, if you'd like to hear more, and ask your own questions! March 5 - Australian Retirement Trust live podcast recording, Brisbane March 6 - Canon, online event for IWD March 6 - National Press Club, "Women in Media Canberra Networking Night: Democracy under threat? Unpacking mis/disinformation in Australia" Canberra March 7 - Powerful Steps, IWD Event, 'Empowering Women, Changing Lives', Sydney March 13 - Hoyts, IWD Event, Advancing Women in the AI Era, Sydney March 17 - Women in Data and Digital (Australian Public Service), Online event for IWD March 25 - ARIA's Innovator Conference, Sydney March 27 - Learning Environments Australia Conference, "Architecting Future Learning Environments with AI", Sydney Key Topics & Takeaways Nici’s Career Path: Ecology, Academia & AI How studying butterfly behavior and coding in R sparked her interest in data and algorithms. Transition from 17 years in academia to AI consulting, focusing on statistics, data analytics, and ethical tech. The ‘Aha’ Moment with ChatGPT Discovering ChatGPT in late 2022 and realizing its massive potential for education—and society at large. Balancing excitement and existential questions (“What is the point of humanity?”) when first encountering generative AI. Bias, Equity & Ethical AI How AI systems inherit the biases found in the internet’s data—and why that’s problematic for underrepresented groups. Why women’s perspectives (and other minority voices) are crucial in AI development and how current data sets often perpetuate stereotypes.\ Nici's passion for closing the AI gender gap and practical steps schools can take. Building AI Literacy & Culture in Schools The importance of having a written guideline (rather than a static policy) for AI use in schools. How to engage teachers and staff: start with small wins—solving real pain points such as lesson planning or admin tasks. Creating a “community of practice” so that staff share prompts, workflows, and best practices. Parent and Community Involvement Addressing misconceptions and fears by informing families about AI’s capabilities, risks, and benefits. Why schools must proactively explain why they’re teaching AI skills—and how they're doing so responsibly. Rethinking Assessment & Student Skills Moving beyond “fact recall” to deeper inquiry, collaboration, ethical reflection, and higher-order thinking. Teaching students how AI works (at a conceptual level) so they can use it responsibly and critically. Encouraging leadership traits like empathy, diversity of thought, and clear communication—assets for both human collaboration and AI prompting. Global Perspectives & Data Sovereignty The challenges of relying on global tech giants for AI tools and data security. Understanding AI as a “private commodity,” not a universal public resource—what that means for Australian schools and beyond. Practical Steps for School Leaders Survey staff to find out their AI familiarity, pain points, and training needs. Start with low-hanging fruit: use AI to streamline daily tasks, then build toward larger strategic workflows. Sustain momentum via ongoing PD, regular sharing sessions, and involving all stakeholders, including parents. /episode/index/show/aiineducationpodcast/id/35453955

Faculty Perspectives on AI with Digital Education Council's Danny Bielik 02/20/2025

AI Book review, or News and Research? 02/13/2025

AI Excellence: A Conversation with Katie Ford 02/06/2025

AI Excellence: A Conversation with Katie Ford This week we get to catch up with , who tells us about the projects that have been happening in AI in Education around Australia, and shares some of the lessons learnt from the projects as well as what she is learning through her own research focus. The examples Katie discusses are: Tasmania Department of Education: Collaborated with Microsoft to enhance their data estate and prepare for AI applications aimed at identifying vulnerable children during COVID, helping to reveal overlooked demographics and improve interventions. University of New South Wales (UNSW): Engaged in multiple initiatives including embedding AI intelligence into complex institutional systems and processes, and developing the Academic Success Monitor to predict and intervene early with students disengaging from education. This proactive outreach is personalised and has shown positive impacts on student success rates. South Australia Department of Education: Pioneered the use of generative AI in classrooms, equipping educators with AI tools to enhance teaching and learning, making it one of the first in the world to adopt such technology at this scale. New South Wales Department of Education: Implemented AI thoughtfully to support educators, focusing on significant time savings and improved experiences in the classroom, with a commitment to reducing teacher workloads by five hours weekly. Brisbane Catholic Education: Conducted a successful pilot with Microsoft Copilot, saving educators an average of 9.3 hours per week, which led to a wider rollout across the board to boost productivity and support staff well-being. University of Sydney: Developed Cogniti to enable academics to control generative AI usage within their courses, facilitating the creation and monitoring of AI agents to enhance educational delivery and student monitoring. Torrens University: Used Azure OpenAI to overhaul their Learning Management System, addressing user experience feedback, enhancing accessibility, and saving both cost and labour significantly. Of course, we get diverted off course along the way, with a mention of platypus spotting, and Ray's visceral hatred of automated supermarket tills gets ha mention /episode/index/show/aiineducationpodcast/id/35181855